Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Week 12 Perth Amboy NJ, Week 18 Mission

Stayin' in the Amboys!
So good news: I didn't get transferred!! Neither did my
companion nor the two other Elders we live with. So me Elder Brimley and Elder
Vargas will have live together now for three transfers! Our district is pretty
much the exact same people. I was pretty 50/50 about getting transferred. I love
this area and Elder Brimley has been a good trainer. But I also wanted to
see the rest of Jersey and meet some new missionaries. But hey, the Lord called
me here and I will give it my all. No worries. I am super pumped too
because we have a few people set up for baptism as well. So happy I get to stay
and see them take that next big step.

Spanish is coming along.... slowly. Ha I study it so hard
everyday, and we talk Spanish during proselyting a lot. It takes a lot of work
and prayer to learn a language that's for sure. I am so happy to have the
opportunity and I know that when God commands, He always prepares a way.
So it will be coming soon. So stoked!

We saw S___ and C___ a few times this week. I love them
so much and their daughter A___ is like the happiest, smartest 2 year old I've
ever seen. They are progressing, but not really toward baptism. They are kind
of stuck because they need to get married first and they don't want to rush into
that. Which makes since except that they have been together for the last 4
years! Ha come on we know you want to get married. We are slowly giving them a
push to make something happen. Crazy how many people out here live some pretty
terrible lives because they broke the Law of Chastity. After seeing how many
lives have been shredded, its pretty clear how important the Law of Chastity
is. Pretty easy for me to see the blessings of living it. Pretty easy to follow
after seeing what I have seen...

Good news is that there is this guy who moved into the ward
recently named A____. He has actually been here for about a year.
I may have mentioned him before. But he is the coolest guy. He grew up in Perth
Amboy, Catholic with his family. He then joined the army and was deported to
Iraq for a few years. Came back and had PTSD and some major problems. In his
lowest of lows he basically remembered Jesus Christ and prayed for help to get
back to church. He started searching for churches everywhere and he found
things he liked in some churches and things he didn't like. He said I wish
there was just one church with all the good stuff put together and no bad
stuff. He found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints through a
friend and flipped out during the first lesson with the missionaries when
he realized this was the church he has been looking for all his life. Then he
got baptized. He has been LA for a little but recently came back and is just
the coolest guy. He goes on tons of team ups with us and teaches and his
testimony is so powerful. A third witness is so powerful sometimes.

This past week we wrote a letter to all the branch members
in our area about missionary work. We were struggling trying to find new
people to teach so we turned to the branch to see if they could help us out. In
the letter we talked about how grateful we are for their service in the branch,
and talked about what the baptismal covenant means to us. Then we invited them
to share a letter with some of their friends and family with their testimony
and thoughts of the church. We will see how it goes... Should have some great
success. This is the Lord's work.

We had an area 70 come to our branch council yesterday. It
was a big shock. He had a translator to help him understand. He just listened
to the council meeting for a while and then at the end he spoke to us. He
talked about how the Work of Salvation comes one person at a time. And the only
way to preach this Gospel and really touch everyone's hearts is by the Holy
Ghost. The Holy Ghost will show us all things which we must say and do. This is
the Lord's work and he will show us how to do it and how to touch everyone's
heart. That goes for relief society president and YM councilor too! Just trust
in Him.

The weather is getting super cold. Almost unbearable.
Different coldness than Utah. This is super windy and icy cold. We are eating Thanksgiving at a Senior Couples missionary
home. Ha so not too sure how much of a Spanish twist there will be. But hey if
this is just straight up good old American Thanksgiving, I wont complain :)
Plus its an old couple making it, should be delicious. Ha!